He urged the city's leaders to raise their sense of responsibility and caution, stressing that if any districts suffered heavy damages from the storm, local leaders would be held responsible.

A report from the National Steering Committee on Flood and Storm Prevention and Control said that a total of 73,395 fishing vessels from northern Quang Ninh Province to central Khanh Hoa Province had been told about the storm's arrival. It added that 1,914 deep-sea fishing boats had sought refuge in coastal ports.

Torrential rains have hit many cities and provinces in the northern region. Daily falls of more than 100mm blanket the northern provinces of Thai Nguyen, Vinh Phuc and Ha Giang.

The national flagship
carrier Vietnam Airlines held a ceremony on July 2 to receive its first
Airbus 350-900 aircraft and announce its upgrade service quality
programme and new brand identifying system, marking a major step in
bringing the airline into the international arena.